


Don't You Forget About Me

by Ayano_18



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, The Author Regrets Everything, The Fright Zone (She-Ra), catradora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:14:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28820565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayano_18/pseuds/Ayano_18
Summary: What if Adora went back for Catra?[takes place after The Sword part 2 (season 1 episode 2)]
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), she ra - Relationship
Comments: 7
Kudos: 33





	Don't You Forget About Me

**Author's Note:**

> It's 2am, what am I doing?  
> Anyway this is just something I've been thinking about and I couldn't sleep so I decided to write it. If there are any spelling/grammar errors please ignore, I'm very sleep deprived lol  
> Enjoy x

She didn't like this place, Catra decided. It was too big, too quiet, and allowed too much time for thinking; something that Catra seemed to do a lot of these days. She had been alone here for what felt like weeks, though it could have been longer. Time didn't have a meaning anymore, since night and day never seemed to fall in the darkness where the stars should be. The only thing she was really sure of was that she was alone. There wasn't a single person left in the universe who cared about her, and that thought made her shiver with lonely chills.

The gentle hum of machinery pulled her away from her spine tingling thoughts, and she looked up quickly in the direction of the noise. It wasn't a loud noise, nothing to be worried about, but her force captain badge reminded her that she still ought to check it out. With a soft sigh, she hopped down from her seat at the window, padding towards the large door that separated the hallway from the room on the other side. It slid open, and so did Catra's mouth, as the scene she gazed upon made her stomach flip. 

Dozens of Horde soldiers littered the floor like dead flies, and some were even still twitching. The tables that were once neatly lined up side by side were now flipped all over the place and broken, splintered into pieces. Even the contents on the tables, different pieces of scrap metal and first ones tech, lay scattered across the floor, and Catra had to step over the shards to get a better view of the room and the mess that came with it.

"Catra?"

She froze. That voice was instantly recognisable, but Catra had imagined it so much that she couldn't be sure it wasn't in her head.

"Catra!"

When the voice called out for her again, she turned around slowly, her hands balling into fists at her side.

"Hey, Adora." She returned softly, trying not to let her surprise shine through in her tone. "You came back."

Catra watched, partially in shock, but mostly in anger, as a tall figure stepped out from behind a large pillar at the edge of the room. She was beautiful, with waist length blonde hair that flowed like a waterfall down her back and was decorated nicely with a golden crown. All of her was golden in fact, from her hair all the way down to her shoes. She wore a white dress that cut off as shorts at her knees. A six petalled flower was embroidered into the bust of the fabric, matching the golden sleeves that reached from elbow to wrist. Her eyes were the most stunning blue, and they seemed to glow as the rest of her did. In the hand that wasn't reaching out to Catra, she held a sword that glowed just the same.

"Of course I came back."

Of course. But it wasn’t always obvious, was it? Catra had spent weeks telling herself Adora would come back for her, of course she would, but she never did. Now, perhaps it was too late, and it just kept getting later. 

As the figure of her former best friend stepped closer, Catra could now determine just how tall she was. Easily 8 feet, she towered over Catra menacingly in a way that would have been threatening if Catra wasn't so sure Adora would never knowingly hurt her.

"Did you really think I'd just leave you here with the Horde?"

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Adora’s smile faltered at that, the edges turning down into a lopsided frown. Retracting her outstretched hand, she returned it to her sword, clutching the golden handle tightly with white knuckles. Catra just watched, a pained look of anger and jealousy carved into her face as though it was halloween, and she was a prized pumpkin. She didn’t even try to hide her envy, her agony, her grief. She didn’t try, because she knew that Adora would see it anyway. Somehow, she always did. 

They held each other’s gaze for a moment that was so long it could have been forever. Something new seemed to flash across Adora’s piercing blue eyes, though Catra wasn’t sure if guilt was the right word. This was more like hopelessness, despair, and Catra couldn’t bear to look anymore. She turned her gaze to the floor, feigning heartlessness. 

“Let’s get out of here.” Adora’s voice called out softly, tempting Catra with its familiarity. 

Everything was different now, though. How could she turn her back on the Horde after all this time? Unlike Adora, she had a little more loyalty than that. She didn’t want to go back to Brightmoon. She didn’t want to be the good guy. Turning on her signature scowl, she brought her eyes back up to Adora, glaring with the kind of intensity that would make the receiver drop down dead. Adora stood her ground though. She barely even faltered at the hatred her best friend showed her. 

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” 

Adora sighed a little, her kind facade melting away. “Oh, come on.” she stood up straighter now, taking another brave step towards Catra. "This can’t possibly be what you want.” 

Honestly, Catra wasn’t sure what she wanted. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Adora’s words hit her hard, and all she could do was watch with big eyes as her former friend moved in on her. 

“Let’s go home, Catra.” 

Home.

That word left a bad taste in Adora’s mouth. 

Catra turned her chin up, her eyes darkening from this new insight. The two grew up here. They shared stories here, trained with the other cadets here, they had a life here. Since when does home emerge from just a place to put all their stuff? Brightmoon was where Adora was living, so that meant that she was dead in the Fright Zone. It wasn’t often Catra found herself feeling a strong emotion other than anger, but this felt different somehow. This didn’t bring her the redness that fury usually did, this was complete and utter betrayal. 

“This is our home.” Catra said softly, but firmly, taking a sure step towards the tall Princess. “Or have you forgotten who you are?” The light in Adora’s eyes faltered, so Catra continued. “You aren’t one of them, Adora. This is where you belong.” 

Adora’s light flicked, and for a moment she seemed to glitch back down to the person she once was. “No.” she said firmly, with a shake of her head. “No, I’m not staying here. Not after everything I’ve seen.” 

Catra’s heart sank down to her stomach, as she swallowed back the hope that had once burned in her eyes. It was clear who Adora was now. After years of being idolised, Adora was now nothing but a fraud. A traitor. Still, something shifted in Catra as she watched Adora’s outstretched hand with suspicious eyes. Even after all this time, Adora refused to give up on her. 

“Come with me.” she said softly, though her eyes showed more desperation. “We can be together again. We can be happy, just like you always wanted.” 

More than anything, Catra wanted to say yes. Adora’s outstretched hand began to look more and more like a promise, one Catra did not intend to break. All at once, she was reminded of the time they spent together as children, all the times they had promised to look out for each other. How long ago that seemed now.

Adora was watching her intently. She was waiting for an answer, Catra knew it. With balled fists and heavy breaths, Catra stood her ground, willing herself not to lash out. A fight was the last thing she wanted right now, especially with Adora. But was silence not an act of violence too? 

Her mind couldn’t seem to sit straight, as she had never wanted someone to hurt and be happy so much. She hated herself for considering the offer, but truthfully there wasn’t a single thing she wanted more in the world than to run away with Adora. To leave all this behind and start again. Internally, she knew that wasn’t an option, that one day reality would dawn on her and she’d have to return here. Return home. Of course she would never fit in outside these walls, because she would always be a Horde soldier, and nothing could take that away from her. Not even if she wanted it to. How could anyone ever trust her? How could she find friends again?

It was easy for Adora, as things often were. She was charismatic, charming, and easy to talk to. Catra was different though. Being alone was all she knew, but she enjoyed that silence, that peace. Often she would bask in her loneliness and viewed pruning as a means of growth, survival. After Adora left, survival became easier. She was well respected, and took Adora’s place and promotion, rising up in the ranks. Adora leaving was the best thing that ever happened to her. The truth is, she was happy here. Why would she ever want to leave? 

Catra twisted her scowl into a devilish smile, letting out taunting reels of laughter that chilled Adora to the bone. The blonde girl retracted her hand quickly, watching in horror at her friend’s seeming insanity. As laughter bounced back against the metal walls of the Fright Zone in a torturous echo, Adora took a step back. She had fought dozens of Horde soldiers to get in here, and yet this was the scariest part of her journey. 

“I don’t want to leave, Adora.” Catra smiled as she composed herself. “You know, it all makes sense now. You were the one who was always holding me back.” Her gaze returned to Adora, eyes burning. “I am a better force captain than you ever could have been.” 

Adora just shook her head. “I don’t care about that stuff anymore.” she protested. 

“Well I do.” Catra laughed again, this time hollow and humorless. “I’m alone here, Adora.” she continued, her voice small and sad. “You left me, and I was weak without you. That’s how it has always been, right?” The taller of the two just watched, eyes wide and mouth wider. A part of her couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but the other part knew it was right. “You were the hero, and I was just your sidekick.”

“Catra, you know that’s not-” 

“The sad thing is, I was okay with that. It didn’t matter what they did to us as long as we had each other.” Catra smiled, almost fondly, as Adora watched on with horror. 

Subconsciously, Adora gripped her sword tighter, holding it almost in defence. Of course, because it was her, Catra noticed. She always noticed. Her heart sank a little in knowing that, even after everything, Adora was afraid of her. Maybe that was the way it should be. 

Catra's eyes flicked down to Adora's hands momentarily, as her face turned dark. “I spent all this time hoping you’d come back to the Horde, when really you leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

Adora's heart sank as she watched in horror. Catra flexed her hands, allowing her claws to extend, sharp and pointed and ready to attack. In response, Adora lifted the sword a little. She didn't want to use it against Catra, but she couldn’t see any other option. 

“I am so much stronger than anyone ever thought I could be.” Catra continued, her insanity peaking. “I wonder what I could have been if I had gotten rid of you sooner.” 

Wide eyed, heart racing, Adora lunged at Catra, swinging her sword through the air. With a hiss, Catra leapt to the side, swallowing back her surprise that Adora had struck out first. “I can’t believe this is what you left me for.” she laughed over her initial surprise, swiping her claws at Adora, who was too slow to move out of the way. They streaked across her arm, and Adora let out a cry of pain. Catra didn’t stop, though. She didn’t even hesitate long enough to wonder if her afflictions would leave scars. Instead, she lunged at Adora again, swinging her leg around to throw Adora off her feet. It worked, and Adora’s ankles crumbled beneath her, causing her to crash to the floor, and her sword flew from her hand. The clang of metal on metal rang out through the room as the sword slid across the floor. With a groan, Adora reached out for it, but again she was too slow. She watched with wide eyes as Catra gripped the metal handle, lifting it into the air. “This wouldn’t work for me, would it?” she asked, turning it over in her hands. “It only works for you.” she looked down at Adora with a pained expression, before the corners of her mouth twisted into an unnerving grin. “You were always special. That’s what Shadow Weaver said.” 

“That’s not how it was, Catra.” Adora insisted, pushing herself up from the floor. She scrambled to her feet, looming over Catra, who still clutched the sword tightly. “Give it back.” she demanded, though her voice was unnecessarily soft. 

“Admit it!” Catra growled, suddenly angrier than she ever had been. Despite her obvious disadvantage in this fight, she took a step forward. “Admit that you loved being her favourite!” 

Adora hesitated, her eyes faltering. “You know that’s not true, she’s just in your head.” Adora sighed, folding both arms over her chest. “She’s manipulating you.” 

For a moment, Catra’s eyes went wide, her ears flattening back against her head. Then, red flares of jealousy broke through the blue and yellow of her eyes, and she let out a single, dry laugh. “Of course she is!” she gasped, almost in disbelief that Adora hadn’t already figured that out. “She controls both of us.” her voice was a lot more sincere now, and the light in her eyes dimmed. “She owns us.” 

Adora shook her head firmly. “It doesn’t have to be like that anymore.” she insisted, holding a hand out to Catra. “Come with me.” Catra just watched Adora’s outstretched hand, blinking back at her. “We can restore peace to Etheria.” 

With a tilt of her head, Catra looked up, her eyes laced with surprise. “I don’t care about peace.” she said simply, with a small smile. “I don’t care about anything anymore.” 

They both looked up quickly as a loud metallic crash sounded from down the corridor, followed by footsteps echoing against the walls. Catra’s smile slowly began to grow as she stared up at Adora with unblinking eyes. “Time’s up.” she taunted with a laugh, before holding out the sword to Adora. “You better get out of here.” 

Adora hesitated. The footsteps were quickly growing closer, she knew she didn’t have time to stop and think. Here Catra was, claiming not to care about anything anymore, and yet caring enough about Adora to let her leave. The only reason she even came back here was for Catra. Didn’t she owe it to her friend not to leave her behind again? “No.” she said quickly, with a shake of her head. “No, I’m not leaving without you.”

For a moment, Catra’s eyes softened. Her taunting smile turned down into a genuine, pleading look, and her cold facade melted away. “Then stay.” 

Adora looked away. She couldn’t bear for the image of Catra’s pleading eyes to be burned into her memory. She knew what she needed to do, and she wouldn’t let herself take the blame for Catra not wanting to be a part of it. Refusing to waste any more time, she reached forward, grabbing the handle of the sword that Catra still held out for her. 

“For the honor of Grayskull!” 

Catra only watched, her heart sinking, her face hardening, as Adora turned to fight the few Horde soldiers that burst through the door. Of course she was crazy to think that Adora would actually stay. Here she stood, fighting the very people she once fought beside. She was one of the best, too. There was a time when staying here and rising up in the ranks was the one thing Adora wanted more than anything else in the world. How long ago that seemed to be now. 

As the last Horde soldier crashed against the metal wall, Adora’s only chance to escape the Fright Zone lay ahead of her in the form of an open door. She gripped her sword with a steady hand as she glanced back at Catra one last time. “You made your choice.” She said over her shoulder, her voice low. “Now live with it.”

Only in that moment did Catra regret her choice to stay.


End file.
